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Spark triggers Ashburton blaze BY SUE NEWMAN
SUE.N@THEGUARDIAN.CO.NZ
Plumes of smoke could be seen billowing across Ashburton skies yesterday as a fire smouldered inside an animal feed business in Ashburton’s Riverside industrial estate. Fire crews were alerted to the blaze just after midday by a businessman working in a yard a block away from the Watson Street property.
As smoke gushed through roof vents, fire crews battled to find a way into the property and had begun using cutting tools to gain access to the building when Evans Feeds owner Andrew Evans arrived at the scene. Thick smoke in the building made it difficult for firefighters wearing breathing apparatus to reach the seat of the fire and the Ashburton brigade called in crews from Methven. Up to 20
firefighters worked in relays to bring the fire under control. Deputy fire chief Graeme Baker said that when fire crews arrived wooden pallets were burning among the smouldering animal feed and rafters in the roof were starting to ignite. “There’s a fair bit of damage in there and while we’ve got it well under control, if it had got into the next building we’d have had problems,” he said.
Fire crews were at the scene for about three hours. Fire risk management officer Kevin Collins took over where the fire crews left off, sifting through fire-damaged material and was quickly able to establish the cause of the fire. He said a spark from a machine used in the feed making process appeared to have landed in bagged feed powder and remained unseen. The owner had been working
in the building and nothing appeared to be amiss when he left, Mr Collins said. “A quite substantial fire appears to have been generated in what was about an hour from when he left.” Damage was minimised by the fire venting through perspex roof lights and once insurance assessors had been on site, it was likely the business could resume quite quickly, he said.
Rugby champs Rakaia is Watters Cup country for the second year in a row following a down to the wire victory over old foes Methven in Saturday’s Mid Canterbury rugby senior final at the Ashburton Showgrounds.
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